Scoop DeVille is about to explode this year, although he made his first rap-video cameo 20 years ago. When he was reaching his terrible 2's, Scoop's dad, legendary Latin MC Kid Frost, held him in his arms in the video for "La Raza."

"That's all I was around, was straight music instruments, rappers, singers, dancers," Scoop, born Elijah Blue Molina, explained about his upbringing. "I got to go on the road as a young kid. I went to 'MTV Jams' when I was a kid. I got pictures of Fab Five Freddy holding me as a baby. I saw my pops go from nothing to having everything. When I was a baby, my pops had three jobs. He was making his ends before 'La Raza' came out. When that dropped, it was a life-changing experience. It was cool to see that and see him make business happen. I soaked it up like a sponge."

Scoop, now 22, started making music when he was 13, and his father encouraged him to follow his talent and dreams. He bought equipment and instruments. Two years ago, Scoop got production duties on [artist id="1133"]Snoop Dogg's[/artist] Ego Trippin', but late last year, he delivered his music-industry calling card, supplying the track to the Dogg's blockbuster "I Wanna Rock." The track samples Rob Base's voice from "It Takes Two."

"It's actually bigger out on the East Coast than it is on the West Coast," Scoop assessed. "The record is real beat-driven. When I was doing the record, I said, 'Whoever gets this record, it's going to be a big record.' "

The big homie Snoop was the lucky recipient.

"I just had a couple of crazy records," Scoop relived. "At the time, me and Dogg was trying to do something new for the new generation. He always listens to all the stuff I'm involved in and keeps his ears to the street. He's a godfather out here. I went to Snoop with it, and I already knew he was gonna do something magical with it and take it to the next level. It was something we wanted to put on the map, as far as hip-hop records are concerned.

"I got a call from Snoop a couple of days after I shot it to him. He was like, 'These couple of records, don't give to nobody. These are them,' " Scoop added. "Sure enough, he did the thing. We went to the studio, laid it out. That song, he was like, 'We're gonna go over the top with this one.' "

The record's immediate allure had MCs from Styles P to Fat Joe to Young Jeezy making unofficial remixes, and Jay-Z jumped on a Snoop-sanctioned remix of the record.

"Oh my God, dude," Scoop recalled. "I was in the car, I got a call, like, 'Jay-Z's gonna rap over your sh--.' I'm 22 years old. I'm young. I'm a creative person. I'm in the studio every day. When I heard that, I was amazed. Jay is one of my favorites. He's an inspiration."

Next up on Scoop's roster are Young Jeezy, Fat Joe and Busta Rhymes.

"Out here, I'm known for making crazy sample records and making things people wouldn't normally use," he said. "There's so many records I have, like the 'I Wanna Rock' record. The one I got coming out with Fat Joe is gonna be twice as good as 'I Wanna Rock.' The one I did with Busta is gonna be three times better. It's like a science. We're trying to bring the hip-hop sh-- back. I'm excited about what could happen this year."

It's Hip-Hop and R&B Week at MTV News, and we're saluting some of the biggest names who have earned big-dawg status with their steadfast pursuit of excellence. We're also bringing you some of the acts on the verge of a mainstream breakthrough, so stay locked with us all week!